Why not?
Because he's the Prophet.
How do we know that to be true?
Because the Lord will never let that happen.
Who Says so?
The Prophet says so.
Why should we believe him?
Because the Prophet will never lead the church astray.
Why not?
Because he's the Prophet. The above is an example courtesy of Rock Waterman at Puremormonism.blogspot.comIt succinctly epitomizes the biggest lie in the LDS Church, which is that we can never be led astray by a prophet. Which is ironic because the Book of Mormon warns against such idolatrous beliefs throughout its epic volumes of text. The Bible both Old and New Testaments also do but not to the repetitious fervor that The Book of Mormon does.To believe we could never be led astray is to believe that the men Jesus hand picked to build up His church were capable of leading His church astray but somehow these modern prophets are magical and are totes better than the Apostles who personally walked with Jesus and learned at His feet.The "logic" baffles me. But then those who profess such idolatrous beliefs never seem to be the ones known for critical inquiry or for thinking for themselves. But who needs to think for oneself when we have prophets to do it for us? You know I heard they can never lead us astray?The LDS Church, in terms of the leadership, are not focused on what Christ said or did. They are focused on their interpretation of what He said or did. Meaning that they hold the lens through which we must look to access Christ.For example; in church I would make a statement or share a thought about something Jesus said or did and the first question asked was "Well, but what do the prophets say about that?" There is no direct communication between us and Christ. The Brethren are standing in between us and Jesus. They "facilitate" our faith. As if it were their faith to give or administer. And therein lies the problem; so many members now see their faith as in need of administering from the Brethren rather than through Christ directly.How Modern Pharisees Are Hindering The Saints
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering.” Matthew 23:13
"Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Luke 11:52
"4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Matthew 23:4 KJV
"The Scribes, often referred to as lawyers, were the learned class who copied, edited, and taught the scriptures. They were known for their knowledge of the Law of Moses, which was Israel’s sole civil and religious authority. Their official interpretations of the meaning of the Law eventually became more important than the Law itself. Following the Law and the traditions that had grown up around it became the measure of one’s devotion and spirituality." (Taken from Hindering the Saints by Phil McClemore.)
Jesus’s condemnation of the Pharisees, scribes or lawyers, and the rest of the religious elite of His time were as follows:
1. That they were hypocrites.
2. That they did not understand the inner meaning of the Law and the scriptures.
3. That they had set up a system to measure spiritual status and worthiness that emphasized external religious practices, thus neglecting the inner path of spiritual rebirth, which is “the key of knowledge.”
"28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 KJV
Jesus says here that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Yet the religious elite according to Biblical scholars added over 600 regulations to Biblical laws. Their interpretation of the law was more important than the law itself. It was used as a weapon against the people and weighed down on them like an insurmountable burden. The people lived out their entire lives struggling with this burden. It was their primary concern. They were judged by how well they kept the regulations their entire lives.
These 600+ regulations were more than just a crushing burden, theses regulations were a thing to be worshipped in and of themselves by the elite and everyday people alike.
Sound familiar?
"26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." Matthew 23:26-27 KJV
The people, as those oppressed often do, thought they needed the religious elite to set these regulations because how else would they know how to fulfill God's word without them?
In scripture the term "The Church" referred to the body of its members as a whole. Now it refers mostly to the leaders or religious elite of "The Church." That speaks volumes I think.
The reason external and outward signs of piety are never a good litmus test of purity or of piety is because to shave, get a haircut, and wear a white shirt with a tie anybody can do. But does everyone feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit with the sick or imprisoned? How many of us do the right thing when no one is looking?
Obedience is doing what you're told regardless of what is right. Morality is doing what is right regardless of what you're told. And a moral person is the enemy of every tyrant while an obedient one is their enforcer.
Jesus said we can have living water well up within us and we will never thirst. He said the kingdom of God is within us not here or there but within.
Christ's goal was not to transcend or escape the world but to transform Himself and thereby transform the world. As He has called us to follow that path.
Our goal is not to suffer temporally to live it up eternally but to transform ourselves, our families, and our communities and thereby change the trajectory of not just our spirits but everyone else's too.
We aren't supposed to rescue ourselves from our humanity, we are suppose to live our humanity so fully it rescues us.
Elder Russel M. Nelson is a hypocrite. He had this to say about God's love: "While divine love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot correctly be characterized as unconditional."
Excuse me while I call Bullshit. Flat out bullshit!
I've talked to Biblical scholars well versed in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The 3 languages needed for a Christian to study the Bible in the original text. To know the original meaning, implications, and nuances. They all said that the Greek word for love used by Jesus to describe His love for His Apostles, Diciples, and for all people was Agape. In Greek culture this was the highest form of the many different form of love like platonic that the Greeks had. One of the things it means IS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!
The word Agape was specifically chosen because of that connotation. But I wouldn't expect Russel M. Nelson to know that, I mean he's not a Biblical scholar after all, he's just an Apostle.
But if God's love is conditional who defines the 600+ regulations of those conditions? Oh, that's right, Russel M. Nelson and the rest of the Apostles and General Authorities.
If I didn't know any better I'd say that's a rather convenient fact.